A Chance Encounter in the Sky
by TieFighterPlt181st
Summary: Link Kokiri is a loyal corporate minion who has been tapped to go on a business trip to London. Yet from the start everything seems to have gone wrong. Zelda Harkinian is the beautiful young British Airways Flight Attendant. When fate brings these two


I've been kind of lacking a bit in the motivation department lately for my multi-chaptered fics. Yet at the same time I want to keep writing so I've ort of decided to work on a few shorts, Zelink of course, as always. So sit back and read them enjoy them or hate them you decide but please review them.

So this idea was completely random, don't get mad at me for it.

In one of the many rows of seats, lay a young man around age 24, with a shirt, tie, and jacket that was being used as a pillow.

"All passengers for British Airways Flight 36, service from Atlanta to Heathrow London this is your final call for boarding, please report to gate C45 immediately," a voice called over the intercom.

The loud call had awoken the young man who groggily looked at his watch and swore/ Down the crowded concourses of the International Terminal at Atlanta-Hartfield International Airport ran the young man, his shoulder bag thumping against his back as he ran. Hurriedly, he glanced at his watch and seeing the time, 11:45 am, ran even harder. He had exactly three minutes until the flight closed and he wouldn't be able to board. Legs pumping, he dodged senior citizens who barely saw him rush by and vaulted several times over the heads of little children. Soon enough, he saw the gate he was looking for C45, just as the gate agent was preparing to close the door for departure.

"Wait!" the runner shouted, motioning wildly with his hand to get the man's attention. By luck or fate, the gate agent had managed to hear the call and held the door open.

"Sorry, I'm late, long story," the man panted.

"You're just in time Mr. Kokiri, we were just about to leave. If I may have your boarding pass," the gate agent requested.

Complying with the inquiry, Link jogged down the jetway and onto the plane. Working his way through the first class cabin, he finally reached the rear of the plane where his seat was located. Unfortunately, having arrived late, there was no overhead bin space left and he was forced to shove his bag under the seat in front of him, diminishing his footroom.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Stevenson speaking. The rest of the crew and I would like to welcome you aboard British Airways Flight 36 service to Heathrow London. Estimated flight time will be around ten and a half hours so please sit back and relax," the captain greeted.

Unfortunately, Link had made the unfortunate discovery that someone had left a wad of chewing gum on the underside of the armrest and when he curled his fingers around, it had affixed itself to his hand. Sighing in aggravation, he produced a napkin from the seatback pocket in front of him and spent the next few minutes scraping off the offending substance as well as a few layers of skin in the process. Having completed the process, he was shoved back into his seat as the 747 accelerated down the runway. Minutes later after getting airborne, Link reached under the seat to retrieve his bag and some papers that he needed to work on before the meeting.

Yet fate continued to work against Link as he lowered the seatback table to place his papers on and soon enough felt a sharp lurch in his seat, characteristic of a kicking motion from the passenger behind him. He tried to ignore the sensations but the kicking kept getting worse until one jolt had Link placing a large inadvertent pen mark over some of the business papers. Nearly ready to scream, Link whipped around to find the culprit, none other than a 7 year old boy happily kicking away. Deciding that the boy wasn't going to find something else to do of his own accord, Link opened his mouth to speak to the the child.

"Umm, excuse me but you're kicking my seat. Do you think you could stop?" Link asked, politely as he could.

"Excuse me sir! Do not deign to give my little boy orders. He's free to do as he wants, and if he wants to kick the seat in front of him so be it," the mother of the child replied haughtily.

Seeing that further argument was going to get him nowhere, Link turned and slumped back in his own seat. It simply wasn't his day, Link sighed to himself looking at the large pile of paperwork that still had to be done. He had been woken up at 2:30 in the morning by a call from his boss informing him that the company's delegate to the meeting in London was sick and that there needed to be a replacement and Link was the man. Not being allowed to protest, Link was informed that his flight would be British Airways 32 leaving at 8:30. Additionally, there were several papers that his boss informed him that he needed to be done before the urgent meeting. Having received the papers by fax and fumbling around half asleep in an effort to pack, Link left the house on his way to the airport. Yet the day had only begun as when Link went to the check-in counter, he found out that the flight had been overbooked and that he had been randomly been booted off the flight. Knowing that his boss would never accept that as an excuse for missing the meeting, Link pleaded to be booked on a later flight. After what seemed like hours of searching and useless typing on the part of the ticket agent, Link had finally rebooked for the 11:55 flight on an economy seat, a long cry from his business class seat which had been his only consolation. Bone tired from having woken up so early and the hectic activities thus far, Link found a seat to fall asleep in. Unfortunately, he was a bit more tired when he thought and missed the initial calls for boarding, only hearing the last one. Jarred alert, he had run as fast as he could to barely make it to a seat that had gum and an annoying little child behind it. Yes, this day was certainly a Murphy's Law as everything that could have gone wrong so far had, and continued to do so as his stomach growled having missed breakfast.

Unfortunately, having been seated in the rear part of the coach section, he had to endure another hour of back kicking work as he attempted to fill out more papers to prepare for the meeting and to distract him from the growing hunger. Finally, deliverance arrived as Link heard the cart being wheeled down the aisle. He was hurriedly shoving his papers into his bag when he was interrupted by the voice of the flight attendant.

"Excuse me sir, but would you like the vegetarian or regular meal?" inquired a distinctly British and feminine voice above him.

Link looked up and saw the first good thing of his day. There in British Airways blue stood the flight attendant, a true English beauty. The young woman was quite tall, with long blond hair that was tied up in a bun, and the most crystalline blue eyes that he had ever seen. Her neck was long and slender while her smooth skin was a pale yet healthy color. The uniform accentuated her graceful curves, the skirt ending just above the knee, long legs ending in a pair of simple black heeled pumps.

"I'll have the regular," Link requested, thinking that just maybe his fortunes might turn around.

Yet all good things do not last as the flight attendant set his tray of food before him. "Lunch" was simply a sandwich, some fruit, and a biscuit which for Link was woefully inadequate especially since he had missed breakfast.

"Is something wrong sir?" the attendant queried concernedly, having seen Link's face go from total joy to dejection.

"This just seems a bit light, that's all," Link managed to reply, torn between the noticeably lack of nourishment on the tray and the stunning flight attendant.

"Oh, I'm sorry. If there's any extra I'll be sure to bring them to you if you'd like," she suggested.

"That'd be great!" Link exclaimed, his stomach rumbling in agreement, much to his embarrassment.

"Would you like something to drink though first?" she questioned.

"Yeah, a Coke would be good," requested Link.

Turning again, the attendant pulled out a can of soda and a cup of ice all while Link watched, still a bit stunned. Popping the can open, she turned and began to pour the soda out for Link. Unfortunately, it seemed as if fate was still conspiring against him. The plane jolted a slight bit from a minor pocket of turbulence but coincidentally the brake on the cart was in need of repair so even the slightest bump set it in motion. It rolled until it hit Zelda, not quite knocking her over but with enough force to jar her hands and spill soda all over Link. The soda drenched Link's shirt and pants while several of the ice cubes had landed in his lap and had begun to melt.

Zelda quickly set down the can and cup and instinctively one of her hands flew up to cover her mouth in horror.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir. Please forgive me," she hurriedly apologized, taking a handful of paper napkins and began to dry him off, praying to heaven that he wouldn't get mad at her. She furiously attempted to dry his clothing, sopping much of the moisture off his shirt and was without thinking going to attempt to clean off his lap.

"I think I can take it from here," Link intervened, feeling his ears heat up due to the proximity of the young woman,

"It's alright don't worry about it, its just turning out to be that sort of day, that's all," Link wanly replied moving to take the napkins from the attractive attendant and continue the job himself. In doing so, he brushed against the skin of her hand, causing a tingling feeling throughout his body.

Zelda looked up and saw Link' ruggedly handsome face and blushed when she noticed how close they were to each other.

"Oh, alright," she managed to consent, leaving him with the paper towels. Feeling her blush still lingering, Zelda hurried back to her cart to finish her work of distributing food and drink. Yet, as she left, she couldn't help but steal one more glance at the young man who was still diligently drying his shirt and pants as best he could. Several minutes later, after distributing all of the food and drink, she wheeled her cart back, to her station at the mid-galley, luckily taking the aisle on the other side of the wide-bodied jet so that she didn't have to pass Link on her way back. Barely had she managed to lock the cart back in place when she felt a tug on her arm as she was whirled around to face a pretty attendant with fire engine red hair.

"Hey Zellie, looked like you were having a grand time back there," the second attendant teased.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Malon," Zelda replied quickly eager to avoid the teasing of her best friend.

"Oh come on Zel, I saw you flirting with that dashing young gentleman back in 33K. You were quite sneaky if I say so myself. Pretending to trip and spill on him, even I wouldn't have thought of that," the redhead giggled.

"Mal, please. It wasn't on purpose. The plane lurched and you know that cart I was using has a defective brake, it bumped me and I lost my grip on the cup. I didn't mean to do it," Zelda defended herself.

"Come on, we're best friends. You don't need to pretend. Besides, he's totally hot, there's nothing to be ashamed of," Malon continued.

"For the last time Mal, I wasn't flirting with him," Zelda hissed with exasperation at her friend.

"I know that, I was just messing around with you," the redhead grinned as she poured herself a glass of water.

'Hmphh, great friend you are," Zelda grumped.

"Yep, the best," Malon replied, still smiling.

"Although in all seriousness, he's still a looker. Maybe you should see if he's available," Malon suggested.

"I just met him and barely even said twenty words to him and most of those were concerning whether he wanted the vegetarian or regular meal. It's just too random, I can't just go around asking out every single guy I meet who I think is attractive, especially while I'm at work," the blonde retorted.

"Girl, you've got to take a chance. You've got to get back out there Zel. I know you'll hate me for saying it, but you've got to get over Jonathan, he was a jerk, you have to move on with life," counseled the shorter woman expecting her friend to get angry.

This remark caused Zelda to pause in thought. Zelda's own life had been just days ago been thrown into shambles. The man who she had been dating for over two years and who she had opened her heart to had betrayed her. She remembered the events of just three days ago, where she walked into his flat using the key that he had given her. What she saw at the bedroom shocked her beyond belief, there tangled in the sheets and in the throes of passion was Jonathan but with a woman other than herself. Pinching herself to wake up from what she believed was a terrible nightmare she found that reality was far more persistent. Zelda had broken into an angry rage, shouting at her former boyfriend and throwing whatever she could lay hands to before she stormed out, tears pouring freely. Ever since then, she couldn't erase the image from her mind and the betrayal from her heart.

"Look I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you relive all that again. Let's just talk about something else alright?" Malon apologized to her friend for bringing up such painful memories.

"No Mal, you're right. He was a jerk and I do have to get over him. Its just that it hurts so much and I'm scared of having to trust someone else," Zelda sniffed.

"Life gets better Zel, I promise. Soon enough you'll forget about that arse. You're a wonderful person and someone's going to realize that, now you just go out there and live life, otherwise you'll regret it," Malon encouraged.

"Thanks, you're the best," the blonde mumbled as the two friend hugged.

"I know, I am aren't I?" Malon agreed.

"Oh shut up before your head gets too big," Zelda laughed.

Just then the ping of a call button sounded and Malon looked at the electronic board on one of the galley walls to find out which of the passengers needed help.

"Oh look, it seems the dashing fellow in 33K needs some help. Go get him girl," Malon informed Zelda with a push in the right direction.

Nervous, yet trying to maintain her professional appearance Zelda strode down the aisle to where Link was sitting. Arriving at the seat, she found him with his tray pushed off to one side hunched over a stack of business papers. Being a shy person by nature, Zelda found herself at a loss for words but was luckily saved when Link noticed her.

"Oh, there you are…Ms. Uhhhh…" Link trailed off not sure what to call her not knowing her name and thinking that simply calling her "attendant" would be rude.

"Please, call me Zelda," Zelda found herself informing the handsome young man of her name.

"Oh, that's a very pretty name," Link complimented without thinking. The moment the last word Link blushed in shame and embarrassment for having said such a thing.

"Thank you, I don't believe that anyone's ever said that about my name before," Zelda replied, embarrassed and pleased at the same time.

"Oh, that's too bad. It's a beautiful name for a beautiful woman," Link vocalized thinking that he was talking to himself in his head.

Zelda for her part, blushed even redder. She was sure that if anyone else had said that to her, she would have taken it as a cheap line yet with this unknown man before her she sensed sincerity that she had never felt before. Those words seemed to be exactly what she needed to hear. Like all women, Zelda had a fear that men would find her unattractive which was a ridiculous thought. And since Jonathan had never assured her otherwise, she could never allay that fear on her own and needed someone who could honestly rid of that fear as Link had just done.

"I'm sorry. I am such an idiot. I really didn't mean to embarrass you or anything like that," Link rambled, just wishing that he could disappear.

"No, don't be sorry, you haven't done anything wrong," Zelda smiled while internally basking in the praise and feeling of tingling warmth that he had giver her. He said that she was _beautiful_ she though to herself with joy.

"But know that you know my name, it seems only fair that I know yours," Zelda queried.

"I'm Link," he replied simply still mentally punching himself.

"That's an odd name," she giggled.

"Thanks, you're not the first person to say that though," he dryly responded.

"I didn't mean to make fun of you or anything. It's just I've never heard of anyone called Link. Please don't take offense," she pleaded.

"It's fine, I'm sure you meant none," he assured her.

"Alright then Link, what can I get you?" she plied with a smile that she hoped would leave him dazed for hours.

"Umm, I was wondering if I could get some extra food now," Link sheepishly stated.

"Oh, of course. I'll bring back a couple of extra sandwiches for you if that's alright," she offered.

"Yeah, that would be great," Link eagerly replied.

This time Zelda found herself walking back down the aisle with a sway in her hips that she hoped he found alluring yet not hookerish at the same time. As she walked she found herself thinking, this man in seat 33K had provoked in a 5 minute conversation feelings that she had never had felt while she had been going out with Jonathan. Was it possible that this random person could be who she was looking for. Yet, the more timid part of her still held back still reluctant to open her heart again and not sure that falling for someone who she would surely never see again would be a wise move.

So that's the first chapter. I hope you liked it. There will only be two or three more chapters to this story before it is done because as I mentioned above, this is only a short story. Please review otherwise I'll just be another hack author wandering about 


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